5 Cool Website Resources for You
Today’s theme is all about “getting started”…so I have two questions with some insider tips on what you need to do to kick-start your business, and then I have about 5 cool resources (mostly free) that you can use immediately.
Q from John: I was referred to you by Simon Black. I don’t know where to start. I haven’t created a product yet but I have a general idea about the topic. So what now?
Answer:
Hi John, great to hear from you. the first steps would be:
1) Identify the niche marketplace you want to help
2) Identify how to get in front of this marketplace
3) Take action and start communicating through emails, articles, and videos to get your message in front of the right market.
Sure, those are basic tips, but that’s essentially what you have to do. As you know of course, nothing happens until you start taking action. Don’t let another day go by without
doing something. You can start with something simple, like registering a website name, but just make sure you are taking one major action step in the right direction each day.
Speaking of registering website names…
Q from Petra: I’m just about ready to go online…I have an idea, and my product is almost done. But I don’t know what to name my website. One expert told me to get a domain name with my keywords. Is that really important? What about building a brand name?
Answer:
It might not be that important to have a keyword-focused domain name anymore.
I asked my traffic expert Rick Porter, and here’s what he said:
“Google’s recent actions suggest that ‘exact match domain names’ were given way too much strength and an unfair advantage in search engine marketing.
“So nowadays, a domain could be a little more branded rather then going for maximum density of a specific keyword.
“I am actually relieved that Google is doing this because it was creating a rat race so to speak with domains. Now I can focus on just a couple of my sites and their keywords rather
than having to worry about taking up and ranking every single exact match domain as well.
“This is going to weed out all the people that were buying up domains and then getting to the top of page 1 search rankings with less than 100 links. Good to see Google is coming to
their senses on that one.”
Rick
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And finally, a bunch of cool resources that will help you get started with your website business…
1) www.Odesk.com and www.Elance.com
If you’ve never heard of these sites, they are a great place to try and find website designers, facebook page designers, graphic artists, etc.
2) www.Fiverr.com
One of the ‘weirder’ sites on the ‘net, Fiverr.com is a place where you can pay $5 to get simple tasks done, from having people “Like” your Facebook page to having other people
post links back to your site, and a whole lot more.
3) www.KillerCovers.com
Okay, this one is a little expensive, but in my opinion, it is one of the best places to get e-book and website graphics done that look professional. They do all of my ebook covers.
Another site – that is cheaper – is www.wowminisites.com
4) Google Web Optimizer
Most internet gurus will tell you to do lots of split testing on your website. A simple and free way to do that is to use Google Website Optimizer.
Basically, you can set up two pages and half your website traffic goes to one page and half to the other.
This will help you identify which page leads to more sales.
DISCLAIMER: I have NO idea how to do the technical set-up of Google Website Optimizer…and neither should you. This is something you should delegate/outsource. Any intelligent high-school kid should be able to do this in their sleep.
5) Statcounter
This is an alternative to Google Analytics and allows you to track your website traffic. Very helpful.
BONUS – Every morning I post a new tip or “kick-butt mindset quote” on my Internet Independence FB page here:
=> http://www.InternetIndependenceUpdates.com
Would love to have you “Like” it. Thank you.
Okay, that’s it for today…
If YOU have some cool website resources, please drop by the blog and post in the comment section.
I appreciate it,
Craig Ballantyne
Always have gratitude. Recognize someone who has helped you – do this every day. Always be thankful for what you have accomplished. A positive attitude goes further in business – and in life – than a negative attitude. Stay positive.